OPENING SERVE: The Tigers hit the road for two OVC matches, taking on SIUE on Friday, April 1, and Eastern Illinois on Saturday, April 2. TSU has gone 5-9 this spring, including a 2-4 record in road matches in the 2016 calendar year.

ABOUT SIUE: The Cougars, who are 6-10 overall and 2-1 in the OVC, are coming off a 4-2 road win at Murray State on March 26. Jack Desse has tallied a team-best 11 singles wins and has paired with Matthew Hutchinson for a team-leading 12 wins in doubles action.

ABOUT EASTERN ILLINOIS: EIU has lost seven of its last eight matches but is 1-2 in conference action thanks to a 5-2 victory over Murray State on March 25. Ryan Henderson has been Eastern Illinois’ most consistent singles player with an 8-4 overall record.

BERNAL #1: Senior Daniel Bernal (Bogota, Colombia), who plays No. 1 singles for TSU, has gone 2-2 in OVC play this season. He has won No. 1 singles matches versus opponents from Morehead State and Jacksonville State. In his most recent OVC match, Bernal battled EKU’s Ramon van Flymen, falling in the tiebreaker of the third set.

OVC PRESEASON POLL: TSU was selected to finish 10th in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech tied for first in the poll, followed by Belmont and Jacksonville State in a two-way tie for third place. Austin Peay, Morehead State, SIUE, Eastern Illinois, Murray State and TSU rounded out the poll.

UP NEXT: TSU continues its road swing with three matches next week. The Tigers will take on Austin Peay on Friday, April 8, before heading to Murray State on April 9. The weekend concludes with TSU going head-to-head with Alabama A&M on Sunday, April 10.